Max Clone rebuild

[hwally]

I'm in Mexico and bought a Mexican clone of a Max 2 called a Drago 2. After looking a lots of pictures on this forum I've come to the conclusion the running gear is all Max 2, probably the early style. The year of this 6x6 is 2001. The axles are hollow and they only have an outer 62mm bearing with a locking collar. The axles are 1 1/4. Is it possible or necessary to install an inner bearing? I plan to take it pretty easy when I get it running. I just removed all of the axles and the frame from the tub. I'm new to this forum but have found it very helpful with nice people. Glad to be here.

[Mike]

It is possible (and preferred) to upgrade to inner bearings. I would definitely do that since you already have everything torn apart. You may want to consider upgrading to solid axles as well depending on your budget.

[hwally]

Thanks Mike. I commend you on your friendly and helpful attitude. Do you have any recommendations as far as a company with reliable products. Another consideration for me is if they ship to Mexico. I don't make it up to the states often.

[Mike]

I don't have a go-to vendor for bearings that I would personally recommend. I typically order from a local supplier and I have changed manufacturers about every time that I purchased bearings. A lot of members use/recommend a place called Buffalo Bearings in New York but I don't have any experience with them. Outside of that, you could always order online through a Google search. I'm sure someone will ship to you. Just make sure you stay away from the cheaper Chinese bearings and stick with a semi-name-brand bearing for longevity.

[hwally]

I just noticed something. My axles are 4 lug and I think the Max 2 has 3 lug. Is this correct? Did Max ever have a 4 lug. I'm sure the axles are 1 1/4 because I checked the numbers on the bearings, they're HC206-20.

[Nick O.]

Your Drago 2 sounds like a neat machine. Do you happen to have any pictures?

The older Max II's with balloon tires used a 3-lug bolt pattern. Modern machines are 5 lug.

[hwally]

NickO. There's some in my gallery. I'm new to the forum so if you need more information about my gallery let me know. It is an interesting machine. I'm glad they based it on the Max because, as far as I can tell , they're out of business. It's the only one I've seen down here. I got the frame stripped and will start cleaning and removing rust tomorrow. This is a lot of fun. It's not easy getting parts down here so I'm doing my best to save everything I can. The 4 lug axles I have look like all the Max axles I've seen in pictures and they have the same bearings. Is the yellow 6x6 yours? I like the color. I have a Hummer h3 the same color. I 'm thinking about painting my Drago the same color. Thanks for posting.